The popularity and convenience of the Internet has resulted in the reinvention of traditional telephony services. These services are offered over a packet switched network with minimal or no cost to the users. IP (Internet Protocol) telephony, thus, have found significant success, particularly in the long distance market. In general, IP telephony, which is also referred to as Voice-over-IP (VOIP), is the conversion of voice information into data packets that are transmitted over an IP network. Communication service providers often have requirements regarding anchoring media within a network. For example, communication service provider must comply with certain regulatory requirements when providing communication services. One such requirement is the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA). Under CALEA, a service provider must provide for the ability for government agencies to selectively monitor communications. When a request to monitor a particular communication data stream is received, the anchored stream can be accessed without the knowledge of the participants. However, with the popularity of more complex forms of communications, e.g., video conferencing communications, conventional approaches to anchoring communications are inadequate.
Based on the foregoing, there is a need for an approach to anchor communication data streams, particularly those involving a video data stream.